Civil War Running: BaddRunners Reunion Tour!

(We have to utmost respect for the history of the Civil War
but let's be honest - sometime's you've got to ride the
cannon, or at least Bryan does.  Wonder what would
happen if that bad boy went off?)

Running has always permeated the depths of society.  It is deep at the core of the history of what it means to be human and what it means to try and rise above the limitations of what humanity has to offer as it tests our abilities.  During any spare time for thousands of years humans have drawn a line in the sand and said, "Go!"  But even when our pastimes cease due to the grips of war, running has still been a quiet passenger working behind the scenes, or sometimes at the forefront, as a tool not only to be grasped but often as a game changer.

One only has to watch the movie "Last of the Mohicans" to see the use of runners during the French and Indian War ("Dude, Native Americans is the preferred nomenclature").  And while sadly Paul Revere rode a horse instead of running to announce "the British are coming," the movie "The Patriot"hints at how scouts who knew the wilderness would run secret messages to the armies, often on foot.  Why would movies lie about these things?  I think I remember surely reading something about these running messengers in some history books somewhere, probably.

(In honor of the occasion I grew and then shaved my beard
into a unique facial hair style called the "Burnside."  Mim-
icking Ambrose Burnside's amazingly intense choice of
facial hair I certainly felt the part while running over the
hills surrounding Fort Donelson.)

And of all the examples of running in military history, the most infamous is Phidippedes, who's name all runners should know by heart.  It is well known by most people that Phidippedes ran from Marathon to Athens to announce their stunning and unexpected victory so the city would fight the oncoming Persians instead of surrendering.  It is said that Phidippedes then collapsed, exhausted from his run, and died there in Athens after delivering his most important message.  This has always seemed amazing and yet somewhat dramatic.  Why did he die?  Surely he ran fast but his death had to be created to make the story better.  Plenty of people run marathons all of the time without dying.  Then I found a website claiming there is more to the story!  How have I not heard this before?

(Bryan rolling through the hallowed trails
on quite a beautiful day I might add.)

It was not simply a marathon Phidippedes ran.  According to this source the days leading up to the footrace to Marathon included two other runs for our beloved "first" marathoner adding up to 280 miles of total running!  This site suggests he ran to Sparta to enlist their help, some 140 miles away up and down mountains, then ran back to Marathon, 140 miles return trip, and then marched with the Athenians to go battle against the Persians in the Battle of Marathon!  It was only then, after the 280 miles of mountainous running and fighting all day in battle, Phidippides was asked to run to Athens faster then the Persians by sea and deliver his message of victory.  No wonder the man died!

So as my family prepared to visit a Civil War site a few weeks ago, the question then became how was running involved in the +Civil War?  From what I have read it sounds as though +Stonewall Jackson was capable of moving his troops so fast from place to place they mine as well have been running (they might have been, and perhaps this is where barefoot running got it's start - too soon? Click here to read an account of how effective he was at moving troops on foot).  And while the telegraph moved faster than any man on foot could have carried a message, surely there were heated moments of battle where important information needed to reach an general before something dastardly happened.  Telegram lines get cut, horses might not be available (shot, stolen, runoff, etc), and some times a single person on foot is the only way.  I stay in shape just in case.

(Here is where the river bent past the well placed fort to
control who and what was allowed past during a time
when rivers where the highways)

In honor of this age old tradition, and mostly because we were going to a Civil War battlefield and we like to run, my brother +Bryan Baddorf  and I laced up our plushly smooth +Pearl Izumi running shoes (well I was trying a different pair but still had Pearl gear on) and ran proudly through the fields at the notable Fort Donelson.  We were doing what we loved and exploring one of our favorite parts of history, but we were also connecting to something more significant.  We did not imagine in our minds we were running top secret messages and trying to break through enemy lines (at least I was not), but we did compel our bodies up and down those hills surrounding Fort Donelson where a similar struggle of self over body had ensued before.  We eagerly devoured information on metal signs whispering to us of the men who fought on that ground, who were also compelled by ideologies and beliefs.

(A better shot shows how anyone wanting access to the
South along the Cumberland river would have to first deal
with these cannons.  This river fort protected anything
beyond, most notably Nashville)

Fort Donelson was the Union's first major victory during the Civil War and as such was a great destination for our family's (a bunch of 'yankees') second Civil Wargasm (see Tony Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic for description of Wargasm or just use your imagination.)  This Wargasm was all the sweeter because Brett missed the first one to Shiloh Battlefield.  Not to mention the fact that he is living on the other side of the world and we don't get to see much of the guy.  Still, running is a unique bonding experience and we were very blessed to have the chance to trot over this hallowed ground.

We could go on forever describing how special and long overdue our reunion was, but you get the idea.  We just hope to have many more similar opportunities ahead of us.  Obviously the activity that we love does not just run throughout our personal history but also throughout the human experience.  Whether you are carrying messages in battle or jogging around the park, life is much more interesting if you're running it!

(We both grew facial hair for the occasion as well, as  any dedicated person would.  Bryan chose the mustache and though I'm not sure he modeled it after any particular person, the mustache clearly was a solid choice of facial hair during the Civil War.  Just look at photos.  For mine, I had a few tough choices and finally settled on a facial grooming called the "Burnside," named after Ambrose Burnside.  Coincidently, this is the same person from where the word "sideburns" comes from.  So go ahead and thank him for his mighty contributions to the facial hair world.  And while you're thinking about how weird it really is that we call anything on our face "sideburns," go ahead and click on this link to experience some great Civil War facial hair.)